Nuclear Shutdowns Put Belgians and Britons on Blackout Alert - IEEE Spectrum
A bad year for nuclear power producers has Belgians and Britons shivering more vigorously as summer heat fades into fall. Multiple reactor shutdowns in both countries have heightened concern about the security of power supplies when demand spikes this winter.
In Belgium, rolling blackouts are already part of this winter’s forecast because three of the country’s largest reactors—reactors that normally provide one-quarter of Belgian electricity—are shut down.
Belgium’s troubles started brewing two years ago during inspections at the country’s seven nuclear reactors, all operated by Belgian utility Electrabel. Ultrasound inspection of the reactor pressure vessels at the utility’s Doel power station near Antwerp revealed previously unrecognized defects at its 1,000-megawatt reactor #3.
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